Oliver wins case against NCAA

Andy Oliver, a LHP at Oklahoma State, won his lawsuit against the NCAA today, and he has been deemed eligible for the upcoming baseball season. There’s a chance you remember hearing me speak about Oliver the end of an early January edition of the RAB Radio Show, but if not, let me review succinctly: Oliver sued the NCAA because he was ruled ineligible after it was discovered that he had used an agent to negotiate on his behalf back when the Twin’s drafted him in the 17th round of the 2006 draft. Today’s ruling abolished the “no agent” rule, so amateur players can now hire representation without consequences.

Players hired agents anyway, so why is this such a big deal? Because now Scott Boras can hold a press conference and officially say “Stephen Strasburg will not sign for anything less than $12M.” That’s an extreme example, but it gives you can idea how this can affect the already broken draft system.

Good news for the Yanks. If Boras can be more transparent with ball clubs as to the what it’ll take to sign one of his clients, the chances that somebody of value drops to the Yanks has got to increase.

So if Boras now says that it’ll take $4 million to sign Kentrail Davis, thats got to give teams some serious pause.

Drew

Exactly what I thought…

Jay CT

I actually emailed Mike a few weeks back about this. I would think that Cash could “slip” when talking to Boras and say “we would pay Bryce Harper 17 million” before the draft then Boras says “don’t draft him unless you all can pay him 17 million.” The Yankees can buy their draft picks.

Does this ruling apply to all amateur athletics, i.e. college basketball and football players can hire lawyer/agents without forfeiting their eligibility? Or only baseball?

A.D.

My guess would be only baseball. Football & hoops were more transparent in that if you entered the draft, you aren’t going back to school agent or not, after the certain date people could pull out if they hadn’t hired an agent etc. But if you get drafted in those 2 sports then you loose no eligibility for hiring an agent, its already lost, where baseball guy can keep getting drafted.

Clayton

I agree that it’s only baseball. From reading the article, he had advisors in a meeting discussing a contract when he was still in high school and the NCAA suspended him for it. Since he wasn’t a college student, he does not fall into the rules of the NCAA. So is could affect high school basketball players who are drafted and decide to go to college.

A.D.

Basketball & Football players can’t be drafted out of HS at this point in time

Bo

The draft should be abolished. Why can’t these players go out on the open market and get as much as they can? This communist system we got now only helps keep prices down.

Why shouldn’t Steve Strasburg be able to get 30 teams bidding on him instead of one?

Marc

If top players could just sign with whatever team could offer them the most money how would the Pirates and Royals of the league ever improve. Big market teams already have enough advantages, I don’t see how getting rid of the draft would help parity around the league.

I don’t want to see baseball have only 4-5 good teams, I like seeing the Rays, Twins and Oakland win games.

The primary reason all major sports leagues have the “communistic” entry draft proceedings is to keep at least a semblance of parity. While we as Yankee fans love having the best players, I can easily see how having no draft and allowing the Yankees to just buy all the elite amateur talent from the outset would be utterly disastrous to the league.

If you abolish the draft and teams like the Reds and Royals no longer have access to guys like Bruce/Votto/Alonzo or Gordon/Moustakas/Hosmer, then the small market teams like that would be in serious risk of folding. If a team is in last place for, say, 20 years straight and has no logical means of escaping last place, that team will die. That’s not good for baseball. The draft is good for baseball. Fans need to believe in the possibility of their team’s success.

Bob Michaels

Just show me the money, the hell with Socialists

Rob in CT

Then MLB will be a big-market only league. NY, BOS, CHI, LA, and a few more.

The thing is, the Yankees (and Red Sox and the other big boys) need opponents. And those opponents have to have some credibility.